Demon: The Fallen
Contents |
History
According to Demon: The Fallen, the War in Heaven began when an angel named Ahrimal foresaw a disaster in the future - a disaster which God had either directly orchestrated or would allow to happen. The angels debated whether or not to act against God in order to prevent this disaster; many argued that it would be safer to do nothing, because their action could potentially be the cause of the disaster. The angel Lucifer was the first to make a conclusive decision in favor of rebellion, and he became the leader of the rebel angels.
These "Fallen" revealed themselves to humanity in order to bring them "the light" of knowledge and awareness. In so doing they incurred the wrath of God, who had given humanity the potential to be aware of the Word, the good and evil, yet had not intended Man to have this kind of awareness yet. The humans (Adam and Eve) had been given gifts that they could not use due to their initial innocence ("A child is happy because he is unaware"), and the game's Adam and Eve are portrayed as having had only rudimentary knowledge and awareness, solely concerned with their survival. During the war that followed, the sin of Cain taught the Fallen how to kill and many grew twisted and evil. In the end, the Fallen lost the war, and were banished to the abyss of Hell as a punishment for their transgressions.
Setting
Due to the Sixth Great Maelstrom in the Underworld (caused in part as a result of the rising of the Ravnos Antedeluvian), the Gates of Hell that kept these Demons from escaping their prison have begun to weaken, allowing the Fallen to escape. However, to remain free of Hell, a Demon must find a suitable host for itself: bodies with weak souls, for example: comatose patients, severe drug addicts or suicidal people. The Demon severs the weakened soul from the body and takes its place inside the host, merging with the host's memories and emotions, and continues existence on Earth to follow its own personal agenda (which may correspond more or less closely with their agenda before they took the host). While the mortal body provides the Fallen with a shield against the full memory of their torment in Hell, they are sometimes hindered by the memories and feelings the mortal soul left behind. Some Fallen revenge upon humanity, believing humans the primary cause for the war, while other Demons want to reconcile and repent for their sins, to be able to return to God.
Characters
All characters must choose a "house" and a "faction". The seven Houses are similar to races in other RPGs, to clans in Vampire: The Masquerade and similar groupings in other White Wolf games. The different Factions are based on the demons' personal opinions and positions regarding the war, and can have been formed before the War or after their escape.
All demons can use special magical powers called Lores. All demons have an "apocalyptic form"; this is a mirror image of their true nature, their form before they were forced into mortal bodies. They can be demonic, and horrible to behold, or angelic and beautiful (but no less terrifying to human eyes), depending on the Demon.
Antagonists
Upon their emergence, the Fallen quickly discovered that they were not the first to escape the Abyss. Hundreds of other demonic spirits were summoned back to Earth in the intervening centuries through the use of sorcery, and were then anchored to objects in place of the bodies possessed by the Fallen. This unnatural connection had left them hollow, tormented, and possessed of alien emotions and thought processes, as these artifacts do not provide the buffer against the memories of their suffering in the Abyss. The five Archdukes, lieutenants of Lucifer, were the first of the fallen angels to be summoned back to Earth. These included Asmodeus, Azrael, Dagon, Belial, and Abaddon, but were soon followed by hundreds of lesser-known demons. These "Earthbound" are immensely powerful, having had centuries to practice their abilities to perfection, as well as having been worshiped as gods by deranged cults for millenia. The rise of organized religion, as well as the Age of Enlightenment drove them into hibernation, but the return of the Fallen has led to the awakening of many of the Earthbound, who take steps to revive the cults which worship them, as well as enslave or destroy the Fallen. Every Earthbound possesses their own unique goals, but most involve the enslavement of humanity so that their potential can be harnessed to achieve the ends of that individual Earthbound.
Character
- Merits/Flaws. Demon merits and flaws.
- Houses.
- Factions.
Environment
- Characters. A flurry of NPCs to interact with and get inspiration from.
